Remember that surge of confusion and bizarre awe you felt upon watching Johnny Depp perform the futterwacken at the end of Tim Burton's Alice and Wonderland? Well, that same feeling is about to overtake you: Hollywood.com has confirmed that Disney is currently developing a sequel to the film, which will again draw from both Lewis Carroll stories Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.
Linda Woolverton, who adapted Carroll's works for Burton the first time around, has a long history of well-received screenplays for family movies: she is responsible for The Lion King, and contributed to Beauty and the Beast and Mulan. Not a bad track record, though her first stab at Alice in Wonderland did leave a bad taste in the mouths of many critics and adoring fans of the source material (and its earlier cinematic incarnations). Still, it's no mystery why Disney would return to Burton's Wonderland world for a second go: the 2010 movie grossed over a billion dollars, cementing it firmly as one of the highest-earning films of all time. It presently stands at No. 12, right between Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and The Dark Knight.
No word yet on whether Burton will return to helm the picture, nor on what stars (Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter among them) will take sequel roles. But there's no deficit of direction in which to take the movie. The first film's loose interpretation of various Carroll elements exhibits Disney's willingness to expand upon and invent new stories and adventures for the literary characters, meaning that just about anything can happen in Alice in Wonderland 2: Alice (Wasikowska) saves Underland from a rich oil tycoon who happens upon the mystical garden portal and wants to mine the magical land for its rich resources; the Mad Hatter (Depp) goes into the fashion business here in the real world, becoming a 7th Avenue smash with his line of headwear; the white rabbit's (Michael Sheen) frequent tardiness costs him his fiancee, and the rest of the gang band together to mend his broken heart. Anything is possible. Even more futterwacken.
[Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]
Additional reporting by Matt Patches
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In 1993, the world was introduced to the Matthews family: hard-working mother and father, cool older brother (eventually overtaken by unexplained brain damage) Eric, impish/occasionally nonexistent younger sister Morgan, and middle son Cory Matthews, whose misadventures with friends, relatives, and faculty members were the life force of the now classic Boy Meets World. Although we bade farewell to Matthews — played, of course, by Ben Savage —when the show came to a close, we will be meeting up with the BMW hero once more in the forthcoming sequel series Girl Meets World. An adult Cory (played again by Savage) and his wife Topanga (the character’s original portrayer Danielle Fishel) will star on Boy creator Michael Jacobs’ new show, hopefully instilling the same heart and soul into their daughter Riley that we found in the original program. (And for more Boy Meets World nostalgia, be sure to check out Matt Patches' oral history of "And Then There Was Shawn," in which BMW cast and crew talk about the series' infamous 1998 Halloween episode.)
While many of us can now rest happily, dreaming of an imminent reunion with Cory and Topanga, some BMW super fans still wonder: what happened to everyone else on that show? Savage and Fishel will be recharging their careers on the new Disney series, but what are the other cast members up to these days? What has Minkus been doing? Or Harley? Frankie the Enforcer? And how about Mr. Feeny?
The Hollywood.com staff has lived out its fantasy as a team of private investigators (it’s not as swanky and glamorous as the Bogey movies always made it seem… the Internet kind of ruined that magic) and sought out the post-Boy Meets World career ups and downs of the show’s cast. Want to see where the John Adams High student body is today? Check out what we discovered below.
Name: Lee Norris
Character: Stuart Minkus
Seen In…: 23 episodes, with his last appearance at high school graduation making a joke about how all the characters we hadn’t seen in seasons were just “on the other side” of the school.
You'll Remember Him For: Being an even bigger nerd than early-seasons Topanga.
What He's Up To Now: Two cameos in Dawson’s Creek, “Barefoot at Capefest” and “To Green, With Love,” and playing Marvin “Mouth” McFadden for all nine seasons of One Tree Hill (where he got a six-pack!).
NEXT: What Happened to Morgan Matthews?Name: Lily NicksayCharacter: Morgan Matthews (The Original)Seen In…: 35 episodesYou'll Remember Her For: Playing Cory and Eric’s adorable little sister in the first two seasons. This version of Morgan enjoyed tea parties, playing with dolls, and eating only the marshmallows from boxes of Lucky Charms. She disappeared after only 35 episodes, and was replaced with Lindsay Ridgeway who took over the role with, “That was the longest time-out I've ever had!” What She's Up To Now: Nicksay made appearances in a handful of other TV shows after her Disney debut, including Judging Amy, The Guardian and 8 Simple Rules. She also appeared in Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford's 1996 film Up Close &amp; Personal. Nicksay is now 24-years-old, and she recently attended college at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. NEXT: What Happened to the other Morgan Matthews? Name: Lindsay RidgewayCharacter: Morgan Matthews (The Second)Seen In…: 75 EpisodesYou'll Remember Her For: Ridgeway turned Morgan from adorable youngest daughter to sharp comedic sidekick when she took over for the original Morgan, Lily Nicksay, in 1996.What She's Up to Now: After Boy Meets World ended, Ridgeway went on to do what a majority of teenagers do: She went to college. The actress received a Political Science degree from University of California Riverside in 2007 and a Masters in Counseling University of Redlands in 2010. Aside from a few voiceover parts, Ridgeway doesn't have too many credits to her name, but she continues to pursue her passion for singing (which she showed off in the 1997 animated film Cats Don't Dance). She regularly performs the National Anthem for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.NEXT: What Happened to Jack Hunter? Name: Matthew LawrenceCharacter: Jack HunterSeen In…: 68 EpisodesYou'll Remember Him For: The middle Lawrence brother joined Boy Meets World in 1997 as Shawn's step-brother Jack, who evolved into a Eric Matthew's partner in crime (and comedy).What He's Up to Now: Lawrence was working steadily as a child actor before Boy and he continued to find work on both the small and big screens afterward. He appeared in 2002's The Hot Chick and 2007's The Comebacks. When we caught up with Lawrence for our Boy Meets World retrospective, he was enthusiastic about acting and his work off-screen: ""Besides auditioning and constantly going out for roles, I work in conservation with animals,"" Lawrence said. ""I'm doing this other TV show, it's somewhat reality based, coming up in January."" The actor recently joined his brother Joey Lawrence on the ABC Family sitcom Melissa &amp; Joey.NEXT: What Happened to Angela Moore?Name: Trina McGee-DavisCharacter: Angela MooreSeen In…: 60 episodesYou'll Remember Her For: Being Shawn’s first long-term girlfriend who was on-and-off with him throughout the whole series before moving to Europe with her father in “Angela’s Ashes.”What She's Up to Now: A mother of three, McGee-Davis has made a few TV movies, like All of Us and Business Class.NEXT: What Happened to Mr. Feeny?Name: William DanielsCharacter: Mr. FeenySeen In…: 158 episodes, spanning from the first until the very last episodeYou'll Remember Him For: Living next door to Cory and Eric, and being first their teacher, then principal, then professor, and always their friend. He gave the best advice, and was the greatest mentor kids could wish for. And you can’t forget the legendary Feeny call!What He's Up to Now: Most recently, he befriended and taught Dr. Cristina Yang before dying mid-surgery on Grey’s Anatomy (freeing him up to appear on Girl Meets World!). He also appeared on two episodes of The Closer, one of King of Queens, one of Boston Legal, one of Scrubs, played the voice of K.I.T.T. on The Simpsons, and the voice of a robot pilot on Kim Possible with fellow BMW alum Will Friedle.NEXT: What Happened to Jason Marsden? Name: Jason MarsdenCharacter: Jason MarsdenSeen In...: 9 episodes from 1994-1995You'll Remember Him For: Playing a character with his real name, being best friends with Eric.What He's Up to Now: Marsden voiced various characters in DC Warner Bros. animated series like teenage Clark Kent, Firefly, and Danger Duck, and served as the voice of Max Goof in A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie, Mungo the gorilla in Tarzan. Marsden also landed gigs as the head announcer for Toon Disney, part-time announcer for Disney Channel. Of course, he also appeared in the flesh on occasion, with roles in Fun with Dick and Jane — as the cashier at the gas station — episodes of Even Stevens and Will and Grace, and voiced Felix Renton in Kim Possible with fellow BMW alum Will Friedle. He also continues to voice Nermal, Vito, Doctor Bonkers, and others on The Garfield Show.NEXT: What Happened to Eddie Hunter? Name: Maury SterlingCharacter: Eddie HunterSeen In…: Episode 317 (“The Pink Flamingo”)You'll Remember Him For: Being the trailer park thief who turns out to be Shawn’s surprise half-brother… who was never heard from or spoken of again. Ever.What He's Up to Now: He’s Max on Homeland! Max! Virgil’s socially inept surveillance expert brother! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but that’s how we felt when we realized this.NEXT: What Happened to Desiree?Name: Sydney BennettCharacter: DesireeSeen In…: Episode 203 (“Notorious”), Episode 204 (“Me and Mr. Joad”)You'll Remember Her For: Playing Eric like a fool as his Southern Belle girlfriend Desiree, a senior who uses him.What She's Up to Now: The last we heard from Sydney Bennett — not to be confused with the like-named music artist who performs as Syd the Kid — she had a supporting role in the 2009 Juno-starrer Whip It!, upholding her background as an experienced roller derby performer. Bennett earned her Master’s degree at the California-based Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine. She was married in 2007 and gave birth to her first child in 2010.NEXT: What Happened to Lauren? Name: Linda CardelliniCharacter: LaurenSeen In...: Episode 514 (""Heartbreak Cory""), Episode 516 (""Torn Between Two Lovers (Feeling Like a Fool)""), Episode 521 (""Honesty Night""), Episode 621 (""The Psychotic Episode"")You'll Remember Her For: Cardellini appeared on Boy Meets World as one of the few girls to catch Corey's attention, even locking lips with the Topanga-obsessed everyman. The two crossed paths during a school ski trip, when a sprained ankle kept Corey holed up in the lodge with Lauren.What She's Up to Now: After her four-episode run as a sitcom temptress, Cardellini nabbed her breakout role on 1999's short-lived Freaks and Geeks. She continued to land roles, including a recurring role on ER in 2000 and parts in the Scooby-Doo movies and the Oscar-nominated Brokeback Mountain. This year, Cardellini was nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards ""Best Leading Female"" for her performance in the war drama Return.NEXT: What Happened to T.K.? Name: Danielle HarrisCharacter: Theresa “T.K.” KeinerSeen In...: Episode 215 (“Sister Theresa”)You'll Remember Her For: A one-time romance with Cory, which hit a snag when her overprotective older brother Harley — Cory’s high school bully — kept diligent tabs on the pair the whole night.What She's Up to Now: Scaring the hell out of you. The vast majority of movies that a still-active Danielle Harris has filmed have been horrors, and several are currently in production: Night of the Living Dead: Origins, Hatchet III, and The Farm. Harris was also a main player on the animated Nickelodeon series The Wild Thornberries, voicing older sister Debbie Thornberry.NEXT: What Happened to Rachel McGuire?Name: Maitland WardCharacter: Rachel McGuireSeen In…: 45 episodesYou'll Remember Her For: Rachel McGuire was the tall — like, really tall — red-headed girl who magically appeared in Boy Meets World for the purpose of being Eric's and Jack's bombshell roommate (and to cause tension). Of course, the boys begin battling for her love – or at the very least for a date – but in the end they all just remain friends. Though they could never help stare like idiots every time she waltzed around in a towel. (Why'd she do that, anyway?)What She is Up to Now: Rachel — who has blonde roots don't you know? — got married after making appearances in Boston Public, White Chicks, and Rules of Engagement, and is active on Twitter, sharing a lot of cleavage-baring pics, like the time she thought about being Wonder Woman for Halloween. NEXT: What Happened to Corinna? Name: Leisha HaileyCharacter: CorinnaSeen In...: Episode 405 (""Shallow Boy"")You'll Remember Her For: You'd remember Corinna (no last name) for being the super energetic and perky musician who begins dating Eric… for one episode. He's totally into her at first, but then gets turned off by her constant optimism. Instead of working things through, Eric dumps the girl, only to later hear the far-too-familiar song ""Shallow Boy"" on the radio describing their ""relationship"" to a T: I wanna give into my heart / I wanna give up who I am / Cause you trampled on my soul / Cause you don't understand / You're - shal—low / You're - shal—low.What She is Up to Now: Since BMW, Leisha Hailey was most notably on The L Word as Alice Pieszecki and most recently as Victoria on the new show The New Normal. She's also, wouldntchaknow, a real time musician – you can check out her band Uh Huh Her (which was formed in 2007) here. Her band also launched TELUHHVISION, a behind-the-scenes look at making music. She also sparked controversy back in 2011 when she was thrown off a Southwest flight for kissing her girlfriend, Camila Grey.NEXT: What Happened to Harvey? Name: Danny McNultyCharacter: Harvey ""Harley"" KeinerSeen In…: 8 episodesYou'll Remember Him For: Harley Keiner was the meanest, scariest, coolest guy at John Adams High. After failing to recruit Shawn to join his gang, Harley begins to pick on Corey (who he calls ""baboon."") Cory briefly weasels his way into Harley's good graces when he dates Harley's sister, TK, but unfortunately things quickly go sour when Cory decides he and TK are O-V-E-R. Ultimately, Harley gets sent to ""juvenile boot camp,"" at which time a young Adam Scott takes over as John Adams High's biggest bully.What He is Up to Now: According to his Facebook page (he wouldn't accept my friend request for more info), McNulty currently lives in Sedona, Ariz., and spends his time traveling and taking selfies in front of picturesque horizons. He attended the Less Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, but his Boy Meets World stint and one episode of a 1993 show called Street Justice remain his only acting credits. NEXT: What Happened to Frankie?Name: Ethan SupleeCharacter: Frankie ""The Enforcer"" StechinoSeen In...: 19 episodesYou'll Remember Him For: As the man responsible for putting kids in trashcans when Harley told him to, Frankie struck a terrifying figure. However, as we come to learn, Frankie is a sensitive soul who possesses a deep and profound love of poetry.What He is Up to Now: After Boy Meets World, Suplee went on to make quite the name for himself in films and on TV. His credits span the gamut, from the grizzly American History X to family-friendly Remember the Titans. You may remember seeing Suplee in Mallrats, The Butterfly Effect, and My Name is Earl (on which he had a starring role from 2005-2009). Suplee is currently in production on a number of projects, including The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Other fun facts about Suplee include: 1) In 2011, Suplee announced that he lost over 200 pounds by riding his bike. 2) He is a Scientologist. 3) Juliette Lewis is his sister-in-law. He and his wife, Brandy (Juliette's sister) have two children.NEXT: What Happened to Joey the Rat?Name: Blake Sennett (credited as Blake Soper)Character: Joseph ""Joey the Rat"" EpsteinSeen In...: 16 episodesYou'll Remember Him For: Being the smaller, faster-talking half of Harley Keiner's brute squad.What He is Up to Now: Following Boy Meets World, Sennett went on to appear in 6 episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun. He is best known, however, as the guitarist for the indie rock band Rilo Kiley and frontman for the Elected.NEXT: What Happened to Jonathan Turner?Name: Anthony Tyler QuinnCharacter: Jonathan TurnerSeen In...: 52 episodesYou'll Remember Him For: Mr. Turner was the cool English teacher, the one who rode a motorcycle and had an earring, long hair, and a mysterious bachelor lifestyle. Shawn moved in with Mr. Turner in Season 2.What He is Up to Now: Quinn seems to be interested in finding work wherever he can get it these days. He has had guest roles on shows such as Caroline in the City, Passions, and more recently, Dexter, House, and Pretty Little Liars. Oh, and let's not forget, Quinn had a starring role in the 2009 Christian film, which he called ""very near and dear to me,"" No Greater Love.NEXT: What Happened to Wendy?Name: Jessica WessonCharacter: WendySeen In...: Episode 202 (“Pairing Off”), Episode 210 (“Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard to Do”)You'll Remember Her For: Being the girl who Cory tricked into dating him after his utilization of Eric’s patented scheme for winning over any young lady failed to land him her heart. The eventual romance was brief.What She's Up to Now: Wesson continued acting straight up to 2001, earning a roles in films like Casper, Flipper, and Longshot, and a recurring spot on Judging Amy. Since she turned 19, Wesson has fallen off the radar (this last known shot of her is from 2001)… perhaps she has taken the past decade to recover from a shattered heart with which she was left following the betrayal of one Cory A. Matthews.Reporting by Michael Arbeiter, Anna Brand, Sydney Bucksbaum, Matt Patches, Leanne Aguilera, and Abbey Stone[Photo Credits: ABC (18); The CW; Twitter; Facebook; FOX; Lionsgate; IMDB (4); WENN (2); Fox Searchlight; Showtime (2); CBS]

Every once in a while you do something right and God gives you a little gift. Sometimes you find $20 on the street. Sometimes you meet someone new and exciting at a bar and you get to make out in a dark corner and get your genitals all in a kerfuffle. And sometimes, some great times God puts Porsha Williams Stewart down here on the earth and winds her up like a mechanical monkey and just let's her spin out of control for all of our amusement. Clang, clang, clang she says as she hobbles from one leg to the other banging her cymbals together and shaking that one bean in the empty head of hers. Yes, Porsha Williams Stewart is a gift from God. Not like her Grammy meant when she said it, but she still is because we are going to be endlessly amused by her.
But before we get to Porsha, we have to talk about the rest of the Real Carpetbaggers of Nifty Moving and Mini-Storage. Seriously, all these women do is move. Kim is moving, Kandi is moving, NeNe is jet setting around getting pedicures while sitting in some uncomfortable black crocodile wing chair. (As I declared last week, I am not discussing moving one bit, so sorry Kim and Kandi. I can't be bothered with you until you do something real.) Did that not look like the least romantic pedicure of all time? And her husband Gregg is sitting next to her writing love poems that he just made up on the spot. "I want a key to your door. Like I never had before." He says. Well, he's a poet, and he didn't even know it. "I want you to be my wife. And then you will shoot me with your rif-le." "When are we gonna get back together? Maybe April or September?" "Roses are red, NeNe is black. If I was Nickelodeon, you'd be my Gak." That is what Gregg's love poems sound like. Man, he wants NeNe back so bad, it probably has nothing to do with the fact that she's now back on national TV and making lots of money and totally rich, bitch. It probably has nothing to do with that at all.
Now that NeNe is all big and famous, she's just jet setting around the world. Now she's in New York for the NBC Upfronts so that she can go out to dinner with boring advertising execs and they can buy her drinks and she can pretends like she is generally interested in talking to so that Kraft Mac 'N' Cheeze will spend lots of money to shill their product during her new show. She's all hanging up there and Cynthia is also in New York for "modeling." I love that is her excuse. "Hey girl, what you doing in town?" "Oh, I just got some modeling. Then I'm gonna see a show and go to Uniqlo and maybe stop by the Meatball Shop. But mostly, I got some modeling." What?
Well, Cynthia decides that she is going to take NeNe on a "poor tour" of New York, because she never had to be a struggling model in New York back when "modeling" was a harder commodity to come by. (But not modeling glue, because that you can buy easy and is good for a cheap high. PS, kids, don't do drugs. Well, at least not modeling glue. And if you do want to do modeling glue, I'm just a tweet away. I'll tell you how you can score some real shit.) The "poor tour" consists of a subway ride, which NeNe has never done, and eating a New York street hot dog, which no one with a still-functioning digestive track has ever done.
I hate when people are like "reality shows are fake" because duh, but I hate when reality shows are so fake that they think that we're not going to even know that they're fake and not care. The "poor tour" consists of NeNe going two stops on the subway. Two stops! She went from 49th St and Seventh Avenue to 58th Street and Fifth Avenue. That is like a five minute walk. Maybe 10 if you're wearing spiked Louboutins like NeNe. And then, right when they get off the subway there is a hot dog vendor which makes sense because there are a million of these people right on the edges of Central Park. But their hot dog vendor was a pretty white lady. I have seen a million hot dog vendors in New York and not only have I never seen a white one, I have never seen a lady, and most of the non-white men that I've seen haven't been that good looking. Now, if their hot dog vendor was an Arab teenager, that I would believe. But no, it was a pretty white lady. This is not a real thing that happened. This is an urban myth like hailing a taxi and getting the Cash Cab (seriously producers vet that shit). There is a better chance of getting a pretty lady cab driver (there are like three) but there are precisely zero pretty lady hot dog vendors. I mean, imagine the harassment?
What else happened? Hmm. Oh, Phaedra, who I think is my favorite on this show, is making a work out tape with her husband Apollo and it's called "The Donkey Booty Ass Kicking Workout Vol. 1." It is so every woman out there can have a fat ass. Now, I'm sorry Phaedra, but don't most people say, "I'm going to start working out so I can get rid of my fat ass," not, you know, the opposite? Well, not to worry, because this isn't going to be a strenuous workout. It's going to be an easy work out so that no one has to sweat and send their hair into paroxysms of "afroism" as Phaedra says. She's going to get Kernya Moo-ah to produce it which, ha! Hahahahaha. Oh, hahaahahaha. Sorry, I'm going to laughing until Boxing Day. Wake me up on the 27th. Also she said her husband looked like "Arnold Schwarzenegger on bath salts" which is both hilarious and true and it makes me want to go out for coffee with Phaedra and make jokes and lean across the table and slap each other's hands after each one and then laugh so hard we're out of breath and then eat like 20 biscotti and go for an easy work out. If Phaedra says a fat ass is OK, I can get on board.
Phaedra and Kernya had lunch but, whatever, it was kind of boring. Kernya bellowed, "Barkeep! Barkeep!" at the bartender with a complete lack of irony which is the fastest way to get your ass perpetually ignored at every bar in the entire Milky Way (not the candy bar).
As boring as their lunch was, Kernya's lunch with Porshe Williams Stewart was so incredibly fascinating. I am obsessed with Porsha. She is just the right combination of entitled, pretty, stupid, privileged, and self-righteous that she makes for the best Housewives character. However, she is just this year's step sister. Yes, we all know the step sisters like Kim G on New Jersey and Brandi on Beverly Hills last year or the new defunct Marlow on this here Atlanta. These are the secondary characters who are around to get fights started but aren't given the privileged of having a tag line at the beginning. They probably get payed less too. Yes, like step sisters they're around for all the big events and the grievances but don't get called to lunch or anything. I usually hate the step sister, but I want to see as much of this Porsha as I can.
Porsha asks her big sister Kernya out to dinner ostensibly to ask her to be the celebrity at her fundraiser for her grandfather's charity to feed homeless children the Hosea Williams Foundation." Kernya as a celebrity draw at a fundraiser, which, ha! Hahahahaha. Oh, hahaahahaha. Sorry, I'm going to laughing until Presidents' Day. Wake me up in February. As soon as lunch starts Porsha asks Kernya if she's married and Kernya says no and Porsha tells her all about her husband, Carvell Stewart, who is a Cookie Puss that taught himself how to play football. The reason this is all Piggity P wants to talk about is because her marriage is about the only interesting thing about her. She's just one of those bland stupid girls that likes Sex and the City or Girlfriends and bags and shoes and purses and shopping and her friends and has no aspirations beyond consumption and putting glitter on things. And texting. That is all that Porsha's future holds. Maybe a few kids.
Now her rubbing the fact that she is young and wants to have a million babies and is married to hot young scoop of ice cream is just awesome. She can't see Kernya getting more and more angry as she just carries on and talks about her tiara and satchel for winning Miss USA (as if she can put all her pride in that satchel, which she pretty much does anyway).
Now it's time for Porsha's bday party fundraiser which, again, is a "Powerful Woman Party." This is like the murder mystery dinner party of 2012, because everyone seems to be having one. It's at Hosea William's house, which was one of the earliest brick McMansions in the ATL and she puts up a white tent next to it. We only see one shot of the house and the walls of it are decorated with giant checks like all Hosea Williams did was win celebrity golf tournaments or something. I bet Porsha thinks that's the most tasteful thing in the whole world, just having laughably huge notations of legal tender lining the stairway of your house. As a kid she and her sister would take the checks down and run outside and ring the doorbell and the other would answer and they would play Publisher's Clearing House and one would play Ed McMahon and give the other a giant check she just won and the winner would just jump up and down and scream her head off and run around the house and throw her body down on the ground and just hammer and clamor. But no one wanted to play Ed McMahon. Why do I have to play Ed McMahon? I was Ed last time. God!
So, Kernya shows up to the party with her friend Karnya. If Real Housewives of Atlanta ever does an Alice in Wonderland-themed episode, we have cast our Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Daa. As soon as she arrives Kernya is dissing the party – that it's too small, that the house is ghetto, that it smells like manure – and then Porsha gets on the microphone (never give a half-drunk girl or a drag queen a microphone, because no good will come of it) and announces to her 25 closest friends that Kernya Moo-ah is there and is a celebrity which, ha! Hahahahaha. Oh, hahaahahaha. Sorry, I'm going to laughing until Flag Day. Wake me up in June.
But then she says Kernya was Miss America, which she was not. She was Miss USA. The second black Miss USA, to be precise. This mistake gets Kernya all upset. I mean it's like if you have the heavyweight champion of the WCW at your party and say they're the heavyweight champion of the WWF. That's like a promotion. Take it, Kernya. Take the promotion.
Then Carvell comes out with a cake in the shape of a purse because, of course (it is also his sister). Then he gives her a Chanel purse for her birthday which she squeals over because also, of course. And then he donates $200,000 to her grandfather's charity because, I guess. Basically this wasn't a fundraiser it was just her man giving a charity a bunch of money and Porsha throwing herself a party for marrying well and so she could have that really cute purse cake she saw on Pinterest which was reblogged from ObnoxiousThingsGirlsLike.tumblr.com. This is why Porshe is amazing. She doesn't get any of it. She just doesn't understand. She sits there in her Herve Leger dress thinking that she's the black Kim Kardashian and has no idea the awful implications of that. In fact, if you told her she was the black Kim Kardashian she would be flattered. This is her idea of equality. This is why her grandfather marched on Washington with Dr. King, so that she could have a purse party in his back yard with Kernya Moo-ah.
Well, Ms. Kernya (who is nasty) is cold. She is freezing! And she complains. She picks at her kale salad and just bitches about how awful it is in the tent and how it should be made warmer. After all, she is the celebrity guest and she should be warm. She is pulling a bit of a power trip so that she can get some attention and Porsha doesn't bite. Kernya says she's going outside to warm up and her and Tweedle Daa sneak off to their car. While they're waiting, and bitching about how it lit-rally smells like doo-doo (I used "literally" correctly to comment on how people use "literally" incorrectly but I also hate subtlety). And what happens? Porshe comes out to check on her celebrity guest. She comes out to make sure Kernya Moo-ah is OK and not dissing her. That is awesome. She is more concerned with what Kernya is doing than her own party. Girl, stay above it. Don't mess with a basket case like Kernya.
So, Kernya says she's coming back, but she never does, so what happens? Porsha comes back again! The only thing worse than checking on this bitch once is checking on her twice, because the stink face you got the first time should have said it all. Yes, Porsha just wants to see if everyone is cool, and Porsha is like, "Um, why did you get up and leave in the middle of dinner? Your food is waiting!" This pisses off Kernya who starts with her crazy shade and tries to make it seem like the Miss USA/Miss America snub was some huge deal. It was kind of annoying, but Porsha can't even figure out the difference between a hat and an earring, so how do you think you can tell the difference between Miss USA and Miss America? Please.
They fight, which is awesome. Porsha says that Kernya doesn't care about starving children because she stormed out of a faux-ndraiser and Kernya is like, "You ghetto," because she doesn't have any real gripes and then Porsha kicks Kernya out and it was just a moment of amazement.
It was just two egos smacking into each other in the night, neither knowing exactly what was going on or why they were upset but that there was rage to be had. Porsha wobbled up the pock marked driveway up back to her party and Kernya and Tweedle Daa got into Kernya's big black car brought around by the valet. She settled into the seat and sped away, her head held high and her eyes dry. At the end of the road she stopped at an intersection and the warm night closed around them. She shut off the air conditioner and opened the window and felt the stickiness seep in through the window in a blast like an explosion. The stars littered the sky with their light that was billions of years old, wiser than all of us and Kernya started to cry. A deep nasty cry and after a moment hit the steering wheel, harder and harder each time, setting off the horn a few times in small bleats that were enveloped by the humidity. Then she just kept on crying.
"Are you OK?" Tweedle Daa said. "It's not my fault," Kernya replied. "It's never my fault."
Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
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David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas consists of six stories set in various periods between 1850 and a time far into Earth's post-apocalyptic future. Each segment lives on its own the previous first person account picked up and read by a character in its successor creating connective tissue between each moment in time. The various stories remain intact for Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's (The Matrix) film adaptation which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The massive change comes from the interweaving of the book's parts into one three-hour saga — a move that elevates the material and transforms Cloud Atlas in to a work of epic proportions.
Don't be turned off by the runtime — Cloud Atlas moves at lightning pace as it cuts back and forth between its various threads: an American notary sailing the Pacific; a budding musician tasked with transcribing the hummings of an accomplished 1930's composer; a '70s-era investigatory journalist who uncovers a nefarious plot tied to the local nuclear power plant; a book publisher in 2012 who goes on the run from gangsters only to be incarcerated in a nursing home; Sonmi~451 a clone in Neo Seoul who takes on the oppressive government that enslaves her; and a primitive human from the future who teams with one of the few remaining technologically-advanced Earthlings in order to survive. Dense but so was the unfamiliar world of The Matrix. Cloud Atlas has more moving parts than the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi flick but with additional ambition to boot. Every second is a sight to behold.
The members of the directing trio are known for their visual prowess but Cloud Atlas is a movie about juxtaposition. The art of editing is normally a seamless one — unless someone is really into the craft the cutting of a film is rarely a post-viewing talking point — but Cloud Atlas turns the editor into one of the cast members an obvious player who ties the film together with brilliant cross-cutting and overlapping dialogue. Timothy Cavendish the elderly publisher could be musing on his need to escape and the film will wander to the events of Sonmi~451 or the tortured music apprentice Robert Frobisher also feeling the impulse to run. The details of each world seep into one another but the real joy comes from watching each carefully selected scene fall into place. You never feel lost in Cloud Atlas even when Tykwer and the Wachowskis have infused three action sequences — a gritty car chase in the '70s a kinetic chase through Neo Seoul and a foot race through the forests of future millennia — into one extended set piece. This is a unified film with distinct parts echoing the themes of human interconnectivity.
The biggest treat is watching Cloud Atlas' ensemble tackle the diverse array of characters sprinkled into the stories. No film in recent memory has afforded a cast this type of opportunity yet another form of juxtaposition that wows. Within a few seconds Tom Hanks will go from near-neanderthal to British gangster to wily 19th century doctor. Halle Berry Hugh Grant Jim Sturgess Jim Broadbent Ben Whishaw Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon play the same game taking on roles of different sexes races and the like. (Weaving as an evil nurse returning to his Priscilla Queen of the Desert cross-dressing roots is mind-blowing.) The cast's dedication to inhabiting their roles on every level helps us quickly understand the worlds. We know it's Halle Berry behind the fair skinned wife of the lunatic composer but she's never playing Halle Berry. Even when the actors are playing variations on themselves they're glowing with the film's overall epic feel. Jim Broadbent's wickedly funny modern segment a Tykwer creation that packs a particularly German sense of humor is on a smaller scale than the rest of the film but the actor never dials it down. Every story character and scene in Cloud Atlas commits to a style. That diversity keeps the swirling maelstrom of a movie in check.
Cloud Atlas poses big questions without losing track of its human element the characters at the heart of each story. A slower moment or two may have helped the Wachowskis' and Tykwer's film to hit a powerful emotional chord but the finished product still proves mainstream movies can ask questions while laying over explosive action scenes. This year there won't be a bigger movie in terms of scope in terms of ideas and in terms of heart than Cloud Atlas.
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It was the trickle of pee heard around the world. Cannes attendees were aghast and/or amused an infamous scene from The Paperboy that shows Nicole Kidman urinating on Zac Efron; this is apparently a great salve for jellyfish burns which were covering our Ken Doll-like protagonist. (In fact the term protagonist should be used very loosely for Efron's character Jack who is mostly acted upon than active throughout.)
Lurid! Sexy! Perverse! Trashy! Whether or not it's actually effective is overshadowed by all the hubbub that's attached itself to the movie for better or worse. In fact the movie is all of these things — but that's actually not a compliment. What could have become somethingmemorable is jaw-droppingly bad (when it's not hilarious). Director Lee Daniels uses a few different visual styles throughout from a stark black and white palette for a crime scene recreation at the beginning to a '70s porno aesthetic that oscillates between psychedelic and straight-up sweaty with an emphasis on Efron's tighty-whiteys. This only enhances the sloppiness of the script which uses lines like narrator/housekeeper/nanny Anita's (Macy Gray) "You ain't tired enough to be retired " to conjure up the down-home wisdom of the South. Despite Gray's musical talents she is not a good choice for a narrator or an actor for that matter. In a way — insofar as they're perhaps the only female characters given a chunk of screen time — her foil is Charlotte Bless Nicole Kidman's character. Anita is the mother figure who wears as we see in an early scene control-top pantyhose whereas Charlotte is all clam diggers and Barbie doll make-up. Or as Anita puts it "an oversexed Barbie doll."
The slapdash plot is that Jack's older brother Ward (Matthew McConaughey) comes back to town with his colleague Yardley (David Oyelowo) to investigate the case of a death row criminal named Hillary Van Wetter. Yardley is black and British which seems to confuse many of the people he meets in this backwoods town. Hillary (John Cusack) hidden under a mop of greasy black hair) is a slack-jawed yokel who could care less if he's going to be killed for a crime he might or might not have committed. He is way more interested in his bride-to-be Charlotte who has fallen in love with him through letters — this is her thing apparently writing letters and falling in love with inmates — and has rushed to help Ward and Yardley free her man. In the meantime we're subjected to at least one simulated sex scene that will haunt your dreams forever. Besides Hillary's shortcomings as a character that could rustle up any sort of empathy the case itself is so boring it begs the question why a respected journalist would be interested enough to pursue it.
The rest of the movie is filled with longing an attempt to place any the story in some sort of social context via class and race even more Zac Efron's underwear sexual violence alligator innards swamp people in comically ramshackle homes and a glimpse of one glistening McConaughey 'tock. Harmony Korine called and he wants his Gummo back.
It's probably tantalizing for this cast to take on "serious" "edgy" work by an Oscar-nominated director. Cusack ditched his boombox blasting "In Your Eyes" long ago and Efron's been trying to shed his squeaky clean image for so long that he finally dropped a condom on the red carpet for The Lorax so we'd know he's not smooth like a Ken doll despite how he was filmed by Daniels. On the other hand Nicole Kidman has been making interesting and varied career choices for years so it's confounding why she'd be interested in a one-dimensional character like Charlotte. McConaughey's on a roll and like the rest of the cast he's got plenty of interesting projects worth watching so this probably won't slow him down. Even Daniels is already shooting a new film The Butler as we can see from Oprah's dazzling Instagram feed. It's as if they all want to put The Paperboy behind them as soon as possible. It's hard to blame them.

Oh hey! You’re back? Nice. Let’s get straight to it. I’ve got a stellar line-up in this week’s Spoiler List for all you TV obsessers out there. And yes I am aware that “obsessers” is not an actual word, but I like it and I’ve already typed it out so I think I’m just gonna keep it. I’ve sweet talked my way into getting all the details on an epic Big Bang Theory showdown, what’s up next on Once Upon a Time now that magic has arrived, and when Glee fans can expect to see the cleanest wedding of the century! Plus, I’ve gift-wrapped some terrific tidbits from Happy Endings, 2 Broke Girls, and Go On. So buckle your seat belts, because I'm about to pour you a tall glass of "This is how it is." (Name that quote! No, seriously name it and I’ll probably send you a cookie.)
1. The Big Bang Theory: It’s the Ultimate Girls v. Boys battle!
At the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, I endured record-setting temperatures to chat with Johnny Galecki and bring you back some much-needed BBT scoop. (Please feel free to send thank you notes and popsicles to my apartment.) So what’s coming up for your favorite geeks next door? Galecki tells me about his new favorite upcoming episode in which things get “very, very competitive.” The actor reveals, “Leonard and Penny and Sheldon and Amy [are] playing board games. It’s boys against girls and it’s one of my favorites that we’ve ever done. It’s a simple idea but a really wonderful episode.” Anything involving my beloved Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) gets me giddy, but knowing that she’ll be teaming up with her “bestie” against her contractually obligated boyfriend is sure to cause all kinds of hilarity!
And as for shipper news, Galecki explains that Leonard and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) are in more of “comfortable” relationship this season. “It’s not so hyper-sensitive as it’s been in previous seasons ... so it’s not the same anxiety of ‘Oh my God, how might she react to this?!’ We kind of tease each other and give each other a hard time as most people do when they’ve known each other for half a decade.” Thank goodness! Now we’ve just got to keep our fingers crossed that Leonard will pop the question again this year, but preferably not mid-coitus this time. Hey, it’s Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) word not mine…
2. 2 Broke Girls: Will the girls really stay broke forever?
My brother and I are particularly fond of this show, and particularly fond of Oleg (Jonathan Kite) the foul-mouthed fry cook who once admitted his fondness for models: “You are like someone super-sized a Victoria's Secret angel. I'd like to Gisele on your Bündchens.” I can't help but laugh. Oh-so-classy, I know. But the one thing that has always bothered me about the CBS comedy is that at the end of each episode we see how much money the girls have made (or usually lost) in those 22 minutes of cupcake-ing and cat-fighting. Come on now, girls, show me the money! Kat Dennings reveals that fans can expect to see their cupcake fund start to seriously increase this season. “I think we will definitely see a jump," she says. "There has to be a jump because [the girls] are so driven."
Max and Caroline may be short on cash, but last season they were never short on eye candy. But if you were hoping to see Max’s kinda-sorta relationship with Johnny (Nick Zano) return, keep on wishing. “No, I feel like that was it for her," Dennings says. "I feel like that broke her heart and she is done now. She will always have feelings for him and if he comes back into her life, it will be dramatic for her, but I do not see her having a serious thing for a long time.“ Oh, and in case you were wondering, Dennings says fans can expect to see more sexually charged diner outbursts form Oleg this season. “I’m almost 100 percent sure that will stay,” she says with a laugh.
3. Once Upon a Time: Emma is the new Alice In Wonderland!
Now that the oddly intimidating purple smoke has entered Storybrooke, the second season of the ABC hit drama will show us the problems that will arise now that magic is back. At Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys, Jennifer Morrison (who was looking absolutely stunning in a red gown) says fans can look forward to a “complicated” family reunion this season. “Everything has changed and the world is upside-down for Emma … in a sense. she feels like Alice in Wonderland, who has gone the rabbit hole,” Morrison says. “She’s kind of born in a whole new way now and has to find a way to protect her son and protect her relationships with her family and develop them.” Yeah, something tells me that realizing you’re the daughter of fairy-tale royalty like Snow White and Prince Charming would be just a little bit daunting.
Though Emma will be in the middle of an identity crisis this season, many fans are campaigning to see the character nab a more consistent love interest this year. So is love in the air for Emma? The actress was quick to reveal, “Absolutely! There’s definitely some romance coming.” Hmm, perhaps that romance is with last season’s hunky Huntsman? Remember, just because someone has died in the real world doesn’t mean he/she can’t come back in the fairy-tale world. Morrison nods with a smile, “It’s so funny — our show seems to bring everyone back around and around and around, so that is something that I can’t say.” I don’t know about you, but I’m taking that last bit as a heck yes!
4. Go On: Can We Expect a Community Crossover?
I recently chatted with Tyler James Williams, who plays Owen on the new NBC comedy alongside sitcom super-veteran Matthew Perry. When asked who of his ensemble cast could benefit most from a real-life therapy sesh, Williams had an interesting answer: all of ‘em! The Everybody Hates Chris actor explains, “I think we could all use a little therapy, quite frankly. I think that anyone who decides to be an actor and decides they want to be other people on a regular basis could use some therapy.” Touché.
Community fans, however, have more than shard their feelings about network neighbor Go On, which they feel is unsettlingly similar in nature to Dan Harmon's (former) series. But Williams, a champion of Community, says that Perry and the rest of his cast are definitely not trying to steal any eyes away from those at Greendale Community College. “I’m hoping that some of the fan base will cross over, but they’ll also see us as our own project,” Williams says. “We’ve gotten that comparison quite a bit and as much as we love Community, we are hoping to also stand alone.” Bummer! I was hoping that we would see a relative of Star-Burns join the group because he just can’t face the fact that we’ll never see that top hat and quirky facial hair again.
5. Happy Endings: Meet the newest members of the group!
Let me start of saying that if I could physically hug this show, then I would never, ever, ever let it go. So imagine my delight when I was on their set Tuesday morning to chat with the cast about all the hilarious shenanigans set to debut in Season 3. Although I have plenty of scoop to share (to be continued!), I wanted to center this particular piece of news around Casey Wilson’s character, Penny. If you’re not familiar with her, then please watch this, and then come right back. I know! Amahzing, right?
Penny is finally getting a long-term love interest this season, played by that handsome guy who is seriously in everything (please see No. 2), Nick Zano. But when Penny’s new fella enters the group, her gubby (gay hubby, duh), Max (Adam Pally), is less than pleased. Pally explains, “Max is not psyched about it. Max is a little jealous … Although he’s gay, I think there’s a really strong love for Penny and he’s jealous of her attention to anyone else.”
So, naturally, Max does what any grown manboy would do: He gets a replacement Penny named Nicole. “But Max pronounces it ‘Nickles,'” Pally says with a laugh. “Because it’s five times as much as Penny.” And in true Happy Endings fashion, this replacement is also “five times as crazy” as Penny. Oh, and in case you were wondering, this new wannabe Penny will be played by Childrens Hospital actress Kulap Vilaysack.
6. Glee: When’s the Wemma Wedding?!
As I’ve

The trailers for Hope Springs might lead you to believe it's a romantic comedy about a couple trying to jumpstart their sexless marriage but it causes more empathetic cringing than chuckles. Audiences will be drawn to Hope Springs by its stars Meryl Streep Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell and Streep's track record of pleasing summer movies like Julie &amp; Julia and Mamma Mia! that offer a respite from the blockbusters flooding theaters. Despite what its marketing might have you believe Hope Springs isn't a rom-com. The film is a disarming mixture of deeply intimate confessions by a married couple in the sanctuary of a therapist's office awkwardly honest attempts by that couple to physically reconnect and incredibly sappy scenes underscored by intrusive music. Boldly addressing female desire especially in older women it's hard not to give the movie extra credit for what writer Vanessa Taylor's script is trying to convey and its rarity in mainstream film. The ebb and flow of intimacy and desire in a long-term relationship is what drives Hope Springs and while there are plenty contrived moments and unresolved issues it is frankly surprising and surprisingly frank. It's a summer release from a major studio with high caliber stars aimed squarely at the generally underserved 50+ audience addressing the even more taboo topic of that audience's sex life.
Streep plays Kay a suburban wife who's deeply unsatisfied emotionally and sexually by her marriage to Arnold. Arnold who is played by Tommy Lee Jones as his craggiest sleeps in a separate bedroom now that their kids have left the nest; he's like a stone cold robot emotionally and physically and Kay tiptoes around trying to make him happy even as he ignores her every gesture. One of the most striking scenes in the movie is at the very beginning when Kay primps and fusses over her modest sleepwear in the hopes of seducing her husband. Streep makes it obvious that this isn't an easy thing for Kay; it takes all her guts to try and wordlessly suggest sex to her husband and when she's shot down it hurts to watch. This isn't a one time disconnect between their libidos; this is an ongoing problem that leaves Kay feeling insecure and undesirable.
After a foray into the self-help section of her bookstore Kay finds a therapist who holds week-long intensive couples' therapy sessions in Good Hope Springs ME and in a seemingly unprecedented moment of decisiveness she books a trip for the couple. Arnold of course is having none of it but he eventually comes along for the ride. That doesn't mean he's up for answering any of Dr. Feld's questions though. To be fair Dr. Feld (Carell) is asking the couple deeply intimate questions so if Arnold is comfortable foisting his amorous wife off with the excuse he had pork for lunch it's not so far-fetched to believe he'd be angry when Feld asks him about his fantasy life or masturbation habits.
Although Arnold gets a pass on some of his issues Kay is forthright about why and how she's dissatisfied. When Dr. Feld asks her if she masturbates she says she doesn't because it makes her too sad. Kay offers similar revelations; she's willing to bare it all to revive her marriage while Arnold thinks the fact that they're married at all means they must be happy. Carell's Dr. Feld is soothing and kind (even a bit bland) but it's always a pleasure to see him play it straight.
It's subversive for a mega-watt star to play a character that talks about how sexually unsatisfied she is and how unsexy she feels with the man she loves most in the world. The added taboo of Kay and Arnold's age adds that much more to the conversation. Kay and Arnold's attempts at intimacy are emotionally raw and hard to watch. Even when things get funny they're mostly awkward funny not ha-ha funny.
The rest of the movie is a little uneven wrapped up tightly and happily by the end. Their time spent soul-searching alone is a little cheesy especially when Kay ends up in a local bar where she gets a little dizzy on white wine while dishing about her problems to the bartender (Elisabeth Shue). Somewhere along the line what probably started out as a character study ended up as a wobbly drama that pushes some boundaries but eventually lets everyone off the emotional hook in favor of a smoothed-over happy ending. Still its disarming moments and performances almost balance it out. Although its target audience might be dismayed to find it's not as light-hearted as it would seem Hope Springs offers up the opportunity for discussion about sexuality and aging at a time when books and films like 50 Shades of Grey and Magic Mike are perking up similar conversations. In the end that's a good thing.

A Comic-Con without a Resident Evil movie is like a Christmas without Santa Claus. Things just aren't the same when star Milla Jovovich isn't up on the big screen in Hall H, her alter ego Alice gunning down killer mutants. Thankfully, after a year off (2010 sported Resident Evil: Afterlife), Jovovich, her husband Paul W.S. Anderson and the rest of the gang are back with Resident Evil: Retribution. The fifth installment widens the scope even further, a global adventure that reunites many of the franchise's memorable characters — even a few who died along the way (anything is possible in the world of RE).
Hollywood.com gained a ton of intel when we visited the set of the action-packed sci-fi/horror hybrid, but now, thanks to the epic Hall H panel, we've finally gotten our first look at the finished product.
Anderson opened the panel by setting out his goal for Retribution. "We wanted to blow out the franchise. The franchise is reaching a climax. I wanted it to be an epic. We went all around the world. We shot in Red Square. We shot in the middle of Tokyo. We destroyed the White House. We shot in Times Square in New York City." And then the mayhem began.
Anderson played the scene we saw filmed on set. The scene opens with a vehicle traveling through the arctic tundra. Suddenly, the ice cracks and the multi-wheeled tank flying. From underwater emerges a submarine packing two familiar faces: Jill Valentine (Sienna Gilroy) and Rain Ocampo (Michelle Rodriguez). Out of the flipped vehicle comes Alice, ready to take down the two mind-controlled fems who want to kick her ass. Behind her, Leon (Johann Urb) and Luther West (Boris Kodjoe) back her up for the epic fight.
It's an old West stand-off, accompanied by music straight out of Inception. The "BROOOOMs" cue the over-the-top, theatrical movements. Rain injects herself with a serum that turns her superhuman. Jill pulls out a long, bladed weapon. Alice asks, "only two of you?" Jill is frank: "It'll be enough."
Cue a giant choreographed fight scene. Things kick off with a barrage of gunfire from both sides. Everyone has a weapon, everyone's shooting. Then Jill and Alice jump into the ring. They beat the living crap out of each other, with punches and weaponry flailing about. Luther and Leon shoot up Rain, but with the injection flowing through her blood, she regenerates in a matter of seconds, the bullets popping out of her fingertips. That's when the three of them start duking it out like one big schoolyard brawl. The clip caps with Alice throwing her two blades straight out of the camera — Anderson never saw a 3D gag he didn't like.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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[Photo Credit: Screen Gems]

Let's all agree: the 1939 film The Wizard of OZ is a classic. The film's fantastical backdrop, the memorable songs, and the vivid use of Technicolor swirled together like magic, amounting to a piece of cinematic art that's one of the more "perfect" movies in existence. Amazing then, that after the film's release, Hollywood rarely returned to the world of OZ. Save for 1985's dark, semi-sequel Return to OZ (a film directed by Frank Oz that sees Dorothy institutionalized for believing she traveled to the far away land), audiences have never returned to the wondrous place that's been forever burned into our memories.
There's an obvious fear of trying to replicate the magic of Wizard of OZ — how do you top it? — but if there's one man for the job, it's Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. In the new movie OZ, The Great and Powerful, the colorful, fantasy world of OZ is reexplored through the eyes of a recognizable character: the Wizard. Raimi, the guy behind the first three Spidey movies, Evil Dead and heartfelt flicks like The Gift and For Love of the Game, seems like the right man for the job. To star as The Wizard, Raimi enlisted James Franco — an unexpected choice. Did the duo pull it off?
Raimi describes his Wizard as a selfish man, who turns his life around by meeting people in OZ. "The Wizard" starts off as a carnival magician, but he lacks human skills — but he has a good heart. He thinks the way to greatness is fame and fortune. Raimi describes him as limited. He's down on his luck, he's an adulterer and eventually, he's chased out of Kansas. He escapes the mob scene in a balloon...which gets swept up into OZ!
And that's where the exclusive Comic-Con trailer picks up. Things start in Kansas, with black and white that's in the old school television aspect ratio (a nice throwback). When The Wizard takes to the skies, he encounters a giant tornado, like the Disney version of Twister. When he ends up on the other side in OZ, the picture transforms a la the 1939 film. Things are bright (even with 3D glasses on) and colorful, the world popping with fantastical imagery. Alice in Wonderland took a similar approach, creating its world all in CG, and OZ runs with the style and then some. The trailer flashed plenty of intriguing images: talking dolls, explosions, bubbly fairy, Rachel Weisz as a devilish looking evil witch, Michelle Williams elegant as always, long shots of scenic vistas (both dangerous and Mordor like, and the Emerald City that looks straight out of a painting).
One thing the footage doesn't reveal is the depths of Franco's performance. It's a fish out of water story, and much of Franco's interactions are akin to "oh my what is that thing!" gasps (you know, a classic acting school move). The movie is packed with Raimi's imagination, but the first look footage is light on the human element.
Wizard of OZ wowed folks in the '30s with its design, but also with its heart. OZ, Great and Powerful looks to deliver the former, now we'll have to wait until 2013 to see if Franco can deliver the second half.
We caught the very first footage from OZ, The Great and Powerful at San Diego Comic-Con and here's what we saw:
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
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[Photo Credit: Walt Disney Pictures]

Get ready to tumble headfirst back into Wonderland. Lionsgate TV, the studio behind Weeds and Mad Men, announced at Comic-Con that they had just won the bidding war for the rights to Zenescope’s Wonderland graphic novel trilogy. There are countless adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, ranging from simple re-tellings of the story to bizarre offshoots (including Alice in Zombieland, a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies-style genre mash-up, to Captain Carrot and the Oz-Wonderland War, a three-issue comic book mini-series featuring DC Comics’ rabbit super hero Captain Carrot as he tried to quell hostilities in Wonderland). The Wonderland trilogy — which includes Return to Wonderland, Escape From Wonderland, and Beyond Wonderland — stands out because it does not focus on Alice herself, but rather on her daughter, Calie (an anagram for Alice). The trilogy was a limited spin-off of the comic book series Grimm Fairy Tales, which presents fairy tales with modern, and often dark, twists. It shows Alice Liddle as a mentally unstable adult who clings to a white rabbit and once tried to commit suicide. Her teenage daughter, Calie, does not want to deal with her mother’s illness, so she turns to substance abuse and promiscuity and winds up venturing into a darker Wonderland than her mother ever encountered. The trilogy, which was written by Zenescope co-founders Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Raven Gregory, features classic characters from the Alice in Wonderland cannon, including the Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter. Brian Robbins, who served as an executive producer on the similarly comic-related Smallville, was chosen to EP the upcoming show. "I love that it's a mother-daughter story; that's what really drew me to it,” Robbins told The Hollywood Reporter. “In the same way that [Smallville's] Clark had a similar relationship with his father, there's a parallel here. It's a really great re-telling of the Wonderland story.” This adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for the small screen will fit right in with the recent slew of fairy tale shows, including Once Upon a Time and Grimm, as well as Alice, the four-part miniseries that SyFy produced just three years ago. [Photo Credit: Zenescope] More: 2012 Emmy Longshots: ‘Once Upon a Time’ Wild Card Robert Carlyle Trippy New ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Poster